Ice cube crusher



April 23, 1935. F. J. osucH. 1,999,108

ICE CUBE CRUSHER Filed Sept. 21, 19 5 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR fin/yells cl Osuc/r ATTORN E April 23, 1935. F. J. OSUCH ICE CUBE CRUSHER 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 21,

. INVENTOR Fave/'5 J Osz'zch ATTORNEYS April 23, 1935. J, OSUCH 1,999,108

ICE CUBE CRUSHER Filed Sept. 21, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR BY frawalf cf Usuek ATTO RN EYS Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orricr.

The present invention relates to a novel ice cube crusher of a type adapted to be installed in an electrically operated refrigerator to be driven by the motor forming part of the refrigeration unit therein and an attachment operated through the crusher for driving various household devices.

The primary object of the present invention is to devise an ice cube crusher which may be permanently installed in a refrigerator box to be operated by the electrically driven motor which forms part of'the refrigeration'unit. The present device includes a hinged chute by means of which ice cubes may be conveniently poured into the crusher to be engaged by a rotatable crushing element and a hinged chute which conveys the cracked ice from the crusher to discharge the same into a suitable receptacle. The intake and discharge chutes may be mounted in either a front or side wall of the refrigerator box and when not in use are hingedly moved to nest within the wall and thus present a smooth outer wall surface.

Another object of the present invention is to install a shaft in a refrigerator box to be driven through a hand controlled clutch mechanism by an electric motor which forms a part of a conventional refrigeration unit' which is mounted within the box, the shaft having an ice crushing element mounted thereon and having one end projecting into an opening in one of the vertical walls of the refrigerator. which projects into the wall opening is formed to provide a driving connection for the drive shaft in an attachment which may be removably mounted on the wall adjacent the opening, the attachment being.designed to provide a variable speed drive for revolving agitators, stirring or beating elements, fruit juice extractors, reamers, and devices for crushing, grinding, mashing, whipping, kneading, chopping, slicing, shredding, polishing, pealing, pitting and instrument sharpening.

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isan isometric perspective view of a refrigerator having the pres 'it ice crusher installed therein and illustrating the chutes in the side wall thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross section of the refrigerator,

motor and the ice crusher;

The end of the shaft illustrating the refrigeration unit Fig. 3 illustrates,--in cross section, a different position of the chutes;

Fig. 4 is a' fragmentary cross section taken along line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectiontaken along line 5-5 5 of Fig. 4;

.Fig. 6 is a plan view of the attachment to be driven by the ice cube crusher shaft;

Fig. 'l is a vertical cross section of the attachment;

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section of the attachment, illustrating a different position of the I same;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a modified embodiment of the present'invention;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary cross section illustrating the ice crusher chutes in a different position, and

Fig. 11 illustrates a modifled'drive for the at tachment. Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The numeral I designatesv a refrigerator box having the usual food compartments and a com partment in which an electric motor 2 and re- 25 frigerating unit 3 are mounted. The compartment in which the motor and refrigerating unit .are mounted is illustrated as being located in the lowermost portion of the refrigerator but it is to be understood that the present device is equally 30 adaptable to refrigerators where the motor compartment is located in the top or uppermost portion of the refrigerator.

In the motor compartment of .the refrigerator l is installed a rotatable shaft 4, one end of the shaft being provided with an opening 5 which is shaped to receive a projection on a shaft presently to. be described to provide a driving connection therebetween. The end 5 of the shaft 4 is mounted to project into an opening 6 in one of the side walls of the refrigerator i. A sprocket I is mounted on the shaft of themotor 2 and is connected by a chain 8 to a sprocket 9 that is mounted on the shaft 4 to freely rotate thereon abutting a flange Ill on the shaft. A slidable clutch element II is keyed to the shaft 4 to slide thereon and is connected to a hand operated lever l2 by a stirrup i3 so that the same may be manually moved into or out of engagement with a clutch face l4 that is formed on the sprocket 9. When the clutch element] I is moved into contact with the clutch face H on the sprocket 9 a driving connection is established between the motor 2 and the shaft 4. i

The shaft 4 extends through the walls i5 that form the ice crusher compartment and inside the compartment thus formed is provided an ice crushing element I6 that is mounted on the shaft 4 to rotate therewith. In the wall of the refrigerator at a point higher than the crushing element I6 is hingedly mounted a chute I'I intowhich ice cubes may be poured to enter the crusher compartment. At a point lower than the crushing 7 element I6 a chute I8 is hingedly mounted in the side wall of the refrigerator I out of which cracked ice pours after passing the crushing element.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate respectively the position of the chutes when the crusher is operating and the position of the chutes when the crusher is inoperative and illustrates the fact that the chutes do not project outwardly when not in use to provide an obstruction that could catch clothr ing of persons passing the same or interfere with brooms, vacuum cleaners or similar house cleaning implements.

The attachment that is to be driven by the shaft 4 in order to operate various household implements comprises a hollow casing 20 having a flange 2| surrounding its open end, the flange having suitably drilled holes through which screws 22 are passed to enter the screwthreaded holes 23 in the side wall of the refrigerator. The holes '23 and the holes in the flange 2I are so arranged that the casing 20 may be installed indifferent positions as will be observed by comparison of Figs. 7 and 8.

Mounted in a bearing 24 within the casing 20 is a rotatable shaft 25 having a projecting end 26 shaped to be received in the specially shaped opening 5 in the end of the shaft 4 to provide a driving connection between the shaft 4 and shaft 25. On the inner end of the shaft 25 is mounted a flat faced disk 21. Supported in the casing 20 with'its axis at right angles to the axis of the shaft 25 is a shaft 28. One end of the shaft 28 projects through the side wall of the casing 20 as at 29 to facilitate the connection of a stirring device or beater 30 or a fruit juice extractor or reamer 3|. Slidably keyed on the shaft 28 is a disk 32 which contacts with the disk 21 in a manner whereby rotary movement of the shaft 4 is transmitted through the disks 2'! and 32 to the shaft 28.

In order to provide for different speeds of the shafts 25 and 28 relative to each other there is provided a fork member 33 that is received on a screw 34 in a manner whereby'rotation of the screw causes movement of the fork in a direction parallel to the axis of the screw. The fork member 33 engages the disk 32 so that movement of the fork by the screw causes the disk 32 to move so that it engages the disk 2'| at a point nearer or farther away from its axis of rotation and thus decrease or increase the number of revolutions of.the disk 32 per revolution of the disk 21'. To operate the screw to vary the speed of the disk 32 there is provided a finger piece 35 that is connected to a gear 35 that meshes with a gear 31 mounted on the end of the screw.

In' order to crush ice cubes the shaft 4 is caused to rotate to operate the crushing element I6 by moving the hand lever I2 so. that the clutch element II engages the clutch face I4 on the sprocket 3. The chutes I1 and I8 are then moved frigerator I by the screws 22, the position of the casing being determined by the requirements of the device to be operated thereby. when the cars-- ing 20 is secured in place by the bolts 22 a driving connection is established between the shaft 4 and shaft-25 by the projection 26 of the latter entering the opening 5 in the former. Movement of the parts is then governed by the hand lever I2 which as above described controls the movement of the shaft 4. The speed at which the different devices (30 and 3|) are to be operated varies and the required speed changes are obtained by manipulating the finger piece 35 to rotate the screw 34 and move the disk 32 so that it contacts with the disk 21 at a point nearer or farther away from its axis of rotation.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated a refrigerator box I having a drawer. 40 arranged at the top thereof to receive the various implements that are to be operatedbythe drive mechanism enclosed in the casing 20. In this embodiment the chutes are illustrated as being shown installed in the front wall of the refrigerator box as above described. The construction andarrangement is shown in detailin Fig. 10 which illustrates a chute I'I' opening into the crusher compartmentIS' at v a point above the crusher element I6 and a discharge chute I8 arranged to direct the crushed crushing element. A shaft 4 is employed to rotate the crushing element I Ii' and is driven by the motor that' operates the refrigeration unit through a sprocket 9' through the slidable clutch element II "which engagesa clutch face I4 on the sprocket 9. A lever I 2' is connected by a fork I3 to the slidable clutch element II' and the lever I2 is in turn operated bya rod H ,which extends through the front wall of the refrigerator box.

In Fig. 11 there is shown an elevated drive for the attachmentwhich comprises a stub shaft 43 mounted within the refrigeratorbox at a height] considerably above the shaft 4'. The stub shaft is recessed in its end to receive the drive portion on the shaft 25 in the casing 23 and in order to drive the stub shaft 43 there is mounted a sprocket 44 on'said shaft which is driven by a chain 43 and sprocket on the shaft 4' which is operated through the clutch mechanism above described. In this manner provisionis made for mounting the attachment casing 23 at a height whereby it may be conveniently operated.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as set able household devices, a driving element in said cabinet, means operatively connecting said driving element with said motor, and means for mounting said first named means on said cabinet in coupled relation with said driving element.

2. In a refrigeration cabinet adapted to be cooled by a mechanically operated unit, the com- I bination of a motor adapted to operate said unit,

a driving element in-said cabinet having a coupling device thereon externally exposed through an opening in said. cabinet, means operatively connecting said driving element with said motor,

means for receiving and operating interchangeable household devices, an externally exposed coupling device on said second named means, and means for mounting said second named means on said cabinet with said coupling devices in coupled relation.

3. In a refrigeration cabinet adapted to be cooled by a mechanically operated unit, the combination of a motor adapted to operate said unit, means for receiving and operating interchangeable household devices, adriving element in said cabinet, means manipulable from outside of said cabinet for operatively connecting said driving element with said motor, and means for mounting said first named means on said cabinet in coupled relation with said driving element.

4. In a refrigeration cabinet adapted to be cooled by a mechanically operated unit, the combination of a motor adapted to operate said unit, a driving element in said cabinet having a coupling device thereon externally exposed through an opening in said cabinet, means operatively connecting said driving element with said motor, a manual control for said means externally exposed through an opening in said cabinet, means for receiving and operating interchangeable household devices, an externally exposed coupling device on said means, and means for mounting said second named means on said cabinet with 'said coupling devices in coupled relation.

5. A mechanical refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a food compartment, a refrigerator motor compartment, and an ice cube crusher compartment, all three compartments being relatively sealed and isolated and all three compartments having their own individual doors by means of which access thereinto from outside of the refrigerator may be attained individually, a motor in said motor compartment, an ice cube crusher in said crusher compartment, and means manipulable from outside of the refrigerator for operatively connecting the crusher to the refrigerator motor.

6. A mechanical refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a food compartment, a refrigerator motor compartment, and an ice cube crusher compartment, all three compartments being relatively sealed and isolated and all three com-e partments having their own individual doors by means of which access thereinto from outside of the refrigerator may be attained individually, a motor in said motor compartment, an ice cube crusher in said crusher compartment, and means manipulable from outside of the refrigerator for operatively connecting the crusher to the refrigerator motor, the means being disposed within the refrigerator cabinet except for the handle part thereof which is externally exposed.

7. A mechanical refrigerator having a motor compartment provided with a door, an ice cube crusher compartment provided with a door, an ice cube crusher therewithin and including a rotatably mounted shaft, a motor in said motor compartment, means within the refrigerator for creating an operative connection between the crusher shaft and the motor whereby the crusher shaft may be driven by the motor, and means accessible externally of the refrigerator for manipulating the first mentioned means to create such operative connection.

FRANCIS J. OSUCH. 

